"Journey of the Red Tide"

Prologue Part V

Encountering the Band of the Red Hand

30

AUG/14

Meeting with Ingot, Silver and Snowhart go to the guard headquarters and after a little paperwork and a small monetary transaction receive their bounty hunter licenses. Ingot decides that since he has some time off from City Guard duty he will accompany Augustus and Silver on their quest to capture or kill the Band of the Red Hand. As they depart the government building they are confronted by a few older men asking for skilled warriors to take a job as protectors. They explain that recently the Band of the Red Hand has attacked some of the farmers as they try to bring goods to Seanchan to sell. Since these attacks began the farmers form their carts into large convoys for protection in numbers. But after another month, the Band got brazen and attacked the last farmer caravan. Now they’d like to hire some people to protect them.

The party delight at the prospect of collecting the bounty, while getting paid, although the farmer’s payment is paltry. Quickly conferring about the convoy’s plans, they depart to get prepped and leave in the evening to arrive at the farmer’s location on time for an early departure.

The party meet with the other protectors and begin walking north and then west. Snowhart rode on ahead on his newly purchased horse, while Ingot and Silver walked for 16 hours. The party rests for 6 hours and then departs with the convoy. Ingot and Silver find room on the wagons to continue resting from the night’s hard march. On the second day of the convoy’s travel, someone notices people lurking in the woods along the path and quietly alerts the rest of the party. After about 20 minutes the spies are gone, but no one rests easy.

Just after sunset, the convoy has stopped for the final night and while most people are eating and relaxing an attack is launched from the wood line. The party and farmer’s take up arms and fight a barbarian and five other people. Two horseman stay at a distance and fire from short bows and one of them has a white square banner with a large dark red handprint. Two attackers are captured and the rest killed and the barbarian is beheaded, to be brought back to Seanchan as proof of their defeat.

The following day the convoy reaches Seanchan and the farmers thank the party for their assistance and head to the market. The party takes the banner and captives to the Guard HQ to collect the reward. Upon interrogation of both the captives and the severed head, via Speak with Dead, the party learns that this was only a portion of the Band and that they cannot be given the reward.

Determined to finish the Band of the Red Hand, the Three Amigos (having dubbed themselves that) depart Seanchan to trace the attack party’s path to the Band’s hideout. After a few days of riding and tracking the party comes to the island’s northwestern coast. Sure that the path led here, they reinspect the area and find a rope tied to a tree leading to an open air cavern facing the ocean. Using the rope, the party enters the cave and finds the path through an illusionary wall to another natural cavern; here the party finds a stabling area for horses and a doorway to underground ruins.

Proceeding inside, the Three Amigos spring a ceiling trap that crushes a 15’ stretch of the narrow hallway. One party member fails to avoid the trap and takes some damage. Continuing along the hallway the party enters a very dark room and confronts some Bugbears. While fighting the other people, some floor switches are activated and 10′×10′ sections of the floor open to 20’ pit traps. Slaying these enemies, the party continues into this dungeon in search of more Band members.

Finding a stairwell, the party chooses to descent further into the structure. Finding this floor mostly covered in dust, they explore freely. There’s a couple tanglefoot bags left discarded under a banquet table and a pearl in a fountain. Continuing into a lit hallway, the party finds a bathroom, and multiple bedrooms. One bedroom is lit and clean with what appears to be the bugbears camping supplies, backpacks, bedrolls, and trail rations. Returning the the grand room, the party enters another doorway and descends spiral stairs to what appears to a jail area.

This lower level is thoroughly searched and the party finds an ever burning torch, and a Small set of breastplate in a prison cell. The end of the jail cell area has a large portcullis, opening it single handedly, Ingot holds it open while Augustus and Silver enter another natural cavern. Finding a bugbear corpse, the party is a little disturbed by what might be kept here behind the portcullis.

Walking through the room, someone sets off a Shrieker, which alerts the Violet Fungies to the intruders presence.
(Conclude somewhat non-violently, decide to leave these creatures homes?)

Returning to the grand hall and then to the original floor, the party take the stairwell leading up to unknown places.